2024 NHL DRAFT Talk

[dudacek]

33 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Hmm, I couldn't do 7th for Eiserman. 11th I can do but there's a bunch of guys that profile like Eiserman and bust. Bellows, Dal Colle, Wahlstrom

Respectfully, I don't see him profiling with those guys.

Wahlstrom is probably the closest. He had 70 goals in 88 games playing mostly with Jack Hughes,

Bellows had 66 in 85. Dal Colle had 39 in 67 in the OHL.

Eiserman had 92 goals in 88 games for the national program this year! And he had similar numbers against similar competition as a 16-year-old.

As far as i can tell nobody has really profiled like Eiserman. Caufield is the only one close.

Edited June 3 by dudacek

[Flashsabre]

Eiserman could be an elite goal scorer but the issue is if his scoring doesn’t transfer you are basically left with VO.

I really haven’t watched his game enough to see his compete and what not. He seems like the type of pick that someone will look like a genius or a fool selecting him top 10 or so.

[Thorner]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

Scott Wheeler has his final list out in the Athletic and the most interesting thing to me is how he has it it tiered:

#4 is on the same tier as #11, meaning we should see at least one player he’s very high on slide to our spot.

The 2nd most interesting thing to me is how the top guys in his 4th tier (12 and 13 overall) are Yakemchuk and Iginla, 2 guys who are very highly touted by a lot of people.

Everything I am seeing tells me there are going to be names available at 11 that some teams will be shocked are still available.

Which is good news for Buffalo, whether we make the pick, or are trying to trade it.

Good news for Buffalo that seemingly every team in the top 15 is going to get a good player. Or, even a “steal”, if you will

I invite the board as an exercise to theorize why this isn’t as beneficial as it seems to a team already looking to make up a ton of ground 

Edited June 3 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

32 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Respectfully, I don't see him profiling with those guys.

Wahlstrom is probably the closest. He had 70 goals in 88 games playing mostly with Jack Hughes,

Bellows had 66 in 85. Dal Colle had 39 in 67 in the OHL.

Eiserman had 92 goals in 88 games for the national program this year! And he had similar numbers against similar competition as a 16-year-old.

As far as i can tell nobody has really profiled like Eiserman. Caufield is the only one close.

Goal scorer with some size with questions about their 200ft game. 

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Good news for Buffalo that seemingly every team in the top 15 is going to get a good player. Or, even a “steal”, if you will

I invite the board as an exercise to theorize why this isn’t as beneficial as it seems to a team already looking to make up a ton of ground 

No they won't. Benson is a steal, there's probably 5-6 players that we can't call steals at 11. 

[dudacek]

11 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Goal scorer with some size with questions about their 200ft game. 

I get the stylistic comparison, I just think the difference in raw numbers put Eiserman on another level.

It’s a significant gap.

[French Collection]

50 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Good news for Buffalo that seemingly every team in the top 15 is going to get a good player. Or, even a “steal”, if you will

I invite the board as an exercise to theorize why this isn’t as beneficial as it seems to a team already looking to make up a ton of ground 

Some guys will be taken earlier than they should because of the size factor. Silyalev 6’7”” defender, may not be better than a 4-5 D at the NHL level. Lindstrom is a power C that many teams covet, he may end up on the wing in a middle six role.

Most of these guys will not play for a few years and their impact is minimal for the first year or two. It will be fun to revisit this draft in 2029.

[LGR4GM]

59 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I get the stylistic comparison, I just think the difference in raw numbers put Eiserman on another level.

It’s a significant gap.

Oh don't get me wrong, I actually like Eiserman. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Oh don't get me wrong, I actually like Eiserman. 

Hard to get behind a guy that can't spell his own name right.  EVERYBODY KNOWS that starts with a "Y."  😉 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[Flashsabre]

26 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

 

Bigger Jack Quinn😀

Iginla and Senneke are the two that are going to go higher than initially ranked. I’d be surprised if both aren’t top 10 picks.

[LGR4GM]

Elite Prospects (EP) draft guide is out. I think it is worth it as they provide PAGES of their game notes for each player which is really cool to look at. For instance I can look at game notes from end of last year and into this year. For example: Sennecke from March 2023 compared to April 2024

Quote

David St-Louis: March 26th, 2023 - Kingston Frontenacs vs. Oshawa Generals - OHL A better performance from Sennecke, who showed more playmaking instincts. He looked for trailers off the rush and cut to the slot with the puck in the offensive zone. He could become a strong puck protector in the OHL with his frame. And he has shooting skills, too. He contorted his body to fire a one-timer. There’s a skill level there to explore and I think he reads and sees the game well. We’ll see how he develops over the next season or so. He might start outside of our top-15, as his talents aren’t obvious as some other prospects, but could climb.

Quote

J.D. Burke: April 28th, 2024 - North Bay Battalion vs. Oshawa Generals - OHL Close to the platonic ideal of Sennecke viewing, even if he only left with an empty-net goal for his troubles. He’s just so overwhelmingly skilled, creative, and even hard-working – inside-driven, too. So many high-value touches in this game, I can faintly remember all of them. Just a series of elaborate dangles in space, give-and-go plays, one- and two-touch feeds as a passer, scoring chances from the slot off the catch – it was all there. I’d like to see him up the pace a bit at times, maybe not succumb to overhandling in spots, but I don’t worry about these things in the slightest. This is an outrageously talented player pushing the limits, trying things out, and that comes with it. Sennecke definitely needs to bulk up a bit though. I love the motor, but he’s just so easy to bully from the puck. He’s improved his wall game over the season with technique, but not a chance it scales up to the NHL without some added heft.

 

Edited June 4 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

Something on Sennecke that I found interesting is at EP and other outlets they talk about his ability to contort his body or move his upper half independently from his lower half. You see this a lot in receivers who jump up for a ball but then can seemingly hang in the air and adjust to the catch. Benson actually does this, where his core stays at point A while his hands and shoulders move to point B. It only really matters because it creates a shiftiness and an ability to make plays off platform. The 2nd clip from the highlights shows this, Sennecke almost falls over but somehow still manages to make a play and keep his balance. Keep in mind this is a player that grew 3-4 inches in the last year and is 6'2" but only 181lbs, so he will add 20lbs of muscle over the next 2 years and that will make him harder to handle. 

One other note not related to Sennecke that I am very much looking at this draft. Board play is translatable and exceedingly difficult at the NHL level. It is why I like Jack Quinn so much, he seems to magically take pucks from the wall towards the HD areas. So let's talk about Cole Beaudoin, the 6'2" 200lb center who hates you. He hates you, your family, your dog... if you have the puck. Seriously this guy is a physical, gritty, high revv type of player. He is Benson with more weight and less skill. Now if you watch him, you can see the speed in his game isn't there right now. He needs to be more shifty and move/react faster. He doesn't have dynamic hands (Benson does) but does have a solid shot. If at 44, Beaudoin is still there, I would heavily consider it because if he can improve his skating, he could be a really great 3rd line center and PK guy who wins you playoff games in about 5 years. EP said he "is nightmare fuel for the opposition"

 

Edited June 4 by LGR4GM

[North Buffalo]

CB Nice shot, goes to the net... little slow in his skating but strong stride... strong on the puck... bet if learns to pick it up a bit will be a good pick... dont see the hate but kid is tough.

[LGR4GM]

34 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

CB Nice shot, goes to the net... little slow in his skating but strong stride... strong on the puck... bet if learns to pick it up a bit will be a good pick... dont see the hate but kid is tough.

There was a game in February I saw shifts from where he lost a puck and then practically destroyed the guy who took it, in order to recover it. Loved his tenacity. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

We got lucky with Benson last year!! He should have never fallen that far and only did because of his size and weight!  Love to repeat that again if we keep this pick (Which i really hope we do not!!!). It is looking like there are going to be some decent prospects that we can get. 

[shrader]

12 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Bigger Jack Quinn😀

Iginla and Senneke are the two that are going to go higher than initially ranked. I’d be surprised if both aren’t top 10 picks.

Can Calgary pass on Iginla if he’s on the board?

[Flashsabre]

8 minutes ago, shrader said:

Can Calgary pass on Iginla if he’s on the board?

I’ll be surprised if Iginla gets to Calgary’s pick. But he would be the slam dunk PR pick for the Flames

[LGR4GM]

 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

 

I know it is a highlight reel, but yes please!!!! I think i saw more hits in that reel then on the whole sabres the last 2 years!! LOL

[French Collection]

31 minutes ago, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

I know it is a highlight reel, but yes please!!!! I think i saw more hits in that reel then on the whole sabres the last 2 years!! LOL

I don’t think the Sabres have ever had a Viking, I mean Norwegian player.

[Flashsabre]

http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/
 

I couldn’t pass up Dickinson if he was on the board at 11.

[steveoath]

23 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

So let's talk about Cole Beaudoin, the 6'2" 200lb center who hates you. He hates you, your family, your dog... if you have the puck.

Not reading any more - draft him 😆

[Archie Lee]

The one player I’ve watched a tonne is Tanner Howe in Regina. Late birthday C/W. likely a W in pro. Some doubts the prior two years because he played a lot with Bedard. Had a solid season as by far the best player on a bad team. Does it all and plays with some attitude. I think a prototypical safe 2nd rd pick. If we take a D in rd one and trade a forward prospect or two, I think Howe would be a good add to replenish the forward prospect ranks. He reminds me, stylistically, of Curtis Brown. 

[LGR4GM]

Pronman mock draft https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5531872/2024/06/05/nhl-mock-draft-2024-celebrini-levshunov/

I have made no bones about how much I don't like Pronman's rankings but it still gives us things to talk about and there is a fun Sabres note in here. 

1. Mack Celebrini
2. Artyom Levshunov
3. Anton Silayev
4. Cayden Lindstrom
5. Ivan Demidov
6. Sam Dickinson
7. Carter Yakemchuk
8. Zeev Buium
9. Berkly Catton
10. Beckett Sennecke
11. Tij Iginla (Pronman: Several NHL team sources think Buffalo is a strong candidate to trade their pick.)
12. Konsta Helenius

I don't see any logicaly way Tij Iginla makes it past Calgary at 9. That would be the perfect spot to take him in. That said, I think it is interesting there is industry chatter about Buffalo trading the pick as that indicates to me there are multiple conversations around that. As always, talking about it and doing it are 2 different things.

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Pronman mock draft https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5531872/2024/06/05/nhl-mock-draft-2024-celebrini-levshunov/

I have made no bones about how much I don't like Pronman's rankings but it still gives us things to talk about and there is a fun Sabres note in here. 

1. Mack Celebrini
2. Artyom Levshunov
3. Anton Silayev
4. Cayden Lindstrom
5. Ivan Demidov
6. Sam Dickinson
7. Carter Yakemchuk
8. Zeev Buium
9. Berkly Catton
10. Beckett Sennecke
11. Tij Iginla (Pronman: Several NHL team sources think Buffalo is a strong candidate to trade their pick.)
12. Konsta Helenius

I don't see any logicaly way Tij Iginla makes it past Calgary at 9. That would be the perfect spot to take him in. That said, I think it is interesting there is industry chatter about Buffalo trading the pick as that indicates to me there are multiple conversations around that. As always, talking about it and doing it are 2 different things.

Let me say thanks to you and others who follow the draft and report on it. It's very illuminating. My biggest takeaway from the reporting on this draft class is that we are in a good position to end up with a high-end prospect if we make the selection. That's a valuable asset that can't be wasted. If we deal it, the minimum return needs to be a 3C player. There are those who want to deal that asset for less than its worth. If we can't get that value back in return, then we should keep it. Acting out of desperation is a bad way to do business.